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Discrepancies between memorials and databases

 
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Adam Brown
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
Posts: 7312
Location: Edinburgh (From Sutherland)

PostPosted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:03 pm    Post subject: Discrepancies between memorials and databases Reply with quote

With Scotland playing the Faroe Islands at football tomorrow and some of the Tartan Army from my work flying there I wondered if there was any memorials to either the Lovat Scouts or 12th Cameronians which could be photographed. The Lovat Scouts served as garrison troops on the island from 1940 – 1942 and the Cameronians replaced them until 1943.

I couldn’t find anything on the web about any memorials specific to Scottish units but I did come across this information in a larger article which may help explain some differences on memorials between the units listed and the units given in the CWGC or SNWM databases. The disbandment of a battalion was only one of many possible reasons for having to change unit but the choices given to the men below are interesting.

...the 12th batallion of the Cameronians was disbanded. The soldiers who came from the Faroe Islands could join other regiments.
Their options were:

a) to voluntarily join the paratroops
b) to join other Scottish regiments
c) to join the Royal Navy
d) to apply for promotion
e) to wait for an opportunity to join another batallion.

12 officers and 500 privates went to North Africa (see below).
11 officers and 113 privates joined other batallions of the Cameronians.
4 officers and an unknown number of privates joined other Scottish regiments.
5 officers and 40 privates joined the paratroops,
20 privates joined the Royal Navy.
Finally there were only seven officers and 133 privates left, lead by major Eric Forbes, and on November the 20th 1944, the 12th Batallion Cameronians was disbanded.

500 Cameronians went to North Africa by sea, and from there to Taranto in Southern Italy to be enlisted into the British batallions of the 8th Indian Division, which had arrived to Italy in September.
From there they travelled by train north to Foggia and from there to their new brigades. These were 1st Royal Fusiliers in the 17th brigade, 5th Essex in 19th brigade and 5th Royal West Kents in 21st brigade.


As you can see, the vast majority ended up in English Regiments in Italy and 20 joined the Royal Navy. (Note, joining the RAF was not an option). Only 124 men chose to remain in the Cameronians but the others may well be listed on a memorial as a Cameronian even if they died serving in another unit.

This text was taken from this website

http://www.faroestamps.fo/?side=8f0f9084447dad1bc22a969c97ce048e

The web article is taken from the Book: “STRÍÐSÁRINI VI” (The Years of War) by Niels Juel Arge

and his sources were

Michael Leslie Melville: ‘The Story of The Lovat Scouts 1900 – 1980’
Kenneth Macmillan: ‘12th Cameronians Scottish Rifles’.

Adam
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